cover image The Dark Matter: Contemporary Science's Quest for the Mass Hidden in Our Universe

The Dark Matter: Contemporary Science's Quest for the Mass Hidden in Our Universe

Wallace Tucker, Karen Tucker. William Morrow & Company, $16.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-688-06112-8

Looking out into the universe, astronomers, cosmologists and astrophysicists are puzzled by what they see. If all the visible matter in the heavens (chiefly in stars and giant gas clouds) is taken into account, it is not nearly enough to explain the observed motions of the stars, galaxies and large-scale structure of the universe. Is there hidden matter? Where is it? In this popular-science book the Tuckers (coauthors of The Cosmic Inquirers) discuss current theories and research programs that seek to resolve the mystery of the ""dark matter.'' They introduce general readers to hypothesized subatomic particles (photinos, axions and massive neurinos), old celestial objects (black holes and brown dwarfs) and new cosmological theories (superstrings and inflationary universes). This is a well-written survey of an awesome and unresolved area of scientific research. Illustrations not seen by PW. (May)